Child Care and Protection Policies

Child care and protection policies regulate the care of children, including the type of support and assistance to be offered, good practice guidelines for the implementation of services, standards for care, and adequate provisions for implementation. They relate to the care a child receives at and away from home.

States and all organisations with child care programmes should have child care policies which are in line with national legislation and international law, e.g. the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). In line with the CRC, emphasis should be placed on the child’s best interests, with support to families prioritised in order to prevent family separation. Good gatekeeping mechanisms are essential in ensuring families receive the services they need and are entitled to, and to guard against inappropriate placement into poor care arrangements.

Home-based care, day care, and other family support services are mechanisms for assisting families in providing for the child’s development and, when used appropriately, can prevent child separation. When a child is unable to remain at home, alternative forms of community based care should be prioritised, such as formal kinship care or foster care. The use of institutions should be highlighted as a last and temporary measure. All support and care provisions should outline the referral and admission process, the use of care plans, regular reviews, rehabilitation, and aftercare procedures.

Child protection legislation which recognises that abuse can be physical, emotional, sexual, or neglect, and may be carried out by parents, caretakers, children and other adults is required. All agencies working with children should have written child protection policies which respect the rights of the child. Policies should outline behaviours and actions which are unacceptable, provide standards for the appropriate care of children, and clear guidelines on what procedures to follow and by whom, including reporting mechanisms for suspected abuse to an assigned authority for investigation.

Child care and protection policies require resources and monitoring of standards to ensure their appropriate implementation. Adequate provision and training of child care and social work staff is required to deliver family support services and alternatives forms of child care. All staff working with children should be trained and supervised in providing appropriate care for children, identifying abuse, and responding appropriately.

The literature in this section contains country reports and examples of national and organisational child care and protection policies.

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Resolution Adopted by the Economic and Social Council on 12 June 2014

United Nations Economic and Social Council, 11 Jun 2014

The UN Economic and Social Council adopted a resolution on 12 June 2014 in observance of the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family and beyond.

National Multisectoral Child Protection Strategy 2014/5 – 2018/9 (Lesotho)

Kingdom of Lesotho, 01 Jun 2014

This Multisectoral National Strategy for Child Protection builds on a mapping and assessment of Lesotho’s current child protection system, which drew together many stakeholders to consider how best to move forward on child protection in

Deinstitutionalization of Children in Bulgaria: How Far and Whereto?

UNICEF, 01 Jun 2014

This Review, commissioned by UNICEF Bulgaria, is aimed at informing the recommendations for the Bulgarian Government’s Action Plan for the implementation of the National Strategy ‘Vision for Deinstitutionalisation of Children in Bulgaria.’

Hague Note on the Financial Aspects of Intercountry Adoption

Permanent Bureau, Hague Conference on International Private Law, 01 Jun 2014

To address the issues related to the financial aspects of intercountry adoptions, the Hague Convention initiated an Experts’ Group, which met in October 2012 and produced nine Conclusions and Recommendations, which they brought to the Permanent Bureau to publish as a “Note”.

Drivers of parenting support, policy and provision in Croatia

Ninoslava Pecnik - Innocenti’s Expert Consultation on Family and Parenting Support, 26 May 2014

This presentation from Innocenti’s Expert Consultation on Family and Parenting Support describes the development of parenting support policy in Croatia.

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Family and Parenting Support: Analytical Framework and Key Orientations in Policy and Provision

Mary Daly - Innocenti’s Expert Consultation on Family and Parenting Support, 26 May 2014

This presentation by Mary Daly, a professor in the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford, was given at Innocenti’s Expert Consultation on Family and Parenting Support on 26-27 May 2014.

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Fact Sheet on Child Abandonment Research in South Africa

Dee Blackie, National Adoption Coalition South Africa, 20 May 2014

This fact sheet summarizes a qualitative research study conducted by the National Adoption Coalition South Africa (NACSA) that explored child abandonment and adoption in the context of African ancestral beliefs in urban South Africa. The goal of this one-year study was to better understand the growing practice of child abandonment and declining adoption rates in South Africa.

Country Care Review: Azerbaijan

11 May 2014

This country care review includes the care related Concluding Observations adopted by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as part of its examination of the first periodic report of Azerbaijan under Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at its 125th and 126th meetings, held on 1 and 2 April 2014, respectively.

Without Dreams: Children in Alternative Care in Japan

Human Rights Watch, 08 May 2014

This report by Human Rights Watch examines Japan’s alternative care system for children. It describes its organization and processes, presents current data on the use of different forms of alternative care and highlights the problems found in the institutionalization of most children (including infants), as well as abuses that take place in the system.

World Family Map 2014: Mapping Family Change and Child Well-being Outcomes

Child Trends, Doha International Family Institute, Institute for Family Studies, Focus Global, and the Social Trends Institute, 01 May 2014

The second annual edition of the World Family Map investigates how family characteristics affect children’s healthy development around the globe and includes a new essay focusing on union stability and early childhood health in developing countries.